Andrew was kind enough to furnish me with some great links to discussions about eating frugally. Some of the comments were well known tips, ie., buying in bulk and using your crock pot for big meals. But there were several tips I hadn’t before considered and seem worthwhile. For example:

1. Growing your own herbs. I used to have a roommate who grew her own herbs and I teased her for it. How wrong I was! A fun hobby it may not be, but viewed as a frugal strategy it sounds enticing. Herbs cost a lot of money, and the fresh kind taste better to boot!

2. Shop at ethnic stores and local fresh food markets. Andrew mentioned this one to me. I hadn’t given much thought to either of these. This is largely due to the fact that here in the Midwest local markets and ethnic stores are few and far between. And I always assumed that farmer’s markets would be more expensive. But then I have never actually gone to one and I now am surely going to first, locate one, and second, check out their deals.

3. I really dig the idea behind this website that Lifehacker linked to. Foodieview is a recipe search website where you can type in several different foods like “chicken, bacon, spinach,” and they will come up with a recipe that uses those ingredients. That way you can make some din-din with all those odds and ends that have been hiding, ever so lonely, in the fridge.

4. All hail the rotisserie chicken! Many commenters hailed the roasted chicken for its many admirable qualities. Indeed, you can keep hacking little pieces from its lovely chicken body and use it in different meals for a few days. And then when the chicken has been stripped of its meat, the carcass can be used to make soup. Well to be frank, that last suggestion kind of grosses me out. Maybe it is the word “carcass.” It gives me the heebiejeebies. Like the word “moist.”

5. Finally I would like to share a tip that those blogs didn’t mention but which is a great way to save money on groceries I have discovered. Buy coupons on ebay. People sell big lots of coupons for stuff. So first pick a food item you always eat. For instance, Mr. FLS and I enjoy a can of soup most everyday. So you can search for “Progresso coupons” and find a lot of 20 coupons for a $1 off 2 cans. You pay maybe a $1.50 for the coupons, including “shipping.” And basically you just made $18.50 in free money. I also recommend eBay for buying protein powder in bulk. Pretty cheap-put it in a smoothie and soon you’ll be giving Popeye a run for his money.

About The Frugal Law Student

The Frugal Law Student is for anyone trying to mitigate their crippling debt. Me? I'm trying to mitigate the tens of thousands of dollars I've taken on in student loans. Join me on my quest to avoid taking on more debt, paying off some of the debt I have, and trying to survive law school while doing it. Read more about The Frugal Law Student, check out some of the best articles, or become a subscriber via RSS feed or via email